Rail truck



Aug. 30, 1960 w. 'r. ROSSELL RAIL TRUCK .Zhre/z/ar fill/AM 72 s iLg 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 20, 1958 Aug. 30, 196 w. 'r. ROSSELL 2,950,689

RAIL TRUCK Filed Jan. 20, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 3-9, 1960RAIL TRUCK William '1. Russell, New York, N.Y., assignor to TransitResearch Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York FiledJan. 20, 1958,-Ser. No. 709,974

6 Claims. .(Cl. 105-133) This invention relates to rail trucks and hasfor its object to provide a truck which will provide improved ridingquality and which is particularly adapted to rapid transit service.

A type of truck which has been highly satisfactory for street carservice is so designed that the relation between the axles with theiraxle housings always form right angles with the side frames at twoopposite corners but which permits flexibility at the other two oppositecorners. The fixed right angle relation has proved very effective ineliminating hunting, but the rigidity is somewhat severe for higherspeeds. An object of this invention is to provide a truck frame whichwill operate in essentially the same way but which will incorporate adegree of resiliency at all four corners.

More specifically, it is the object of this invention to provide a truckframe in which the axle housings will be rigidly attached to the sideframes at two diagonally opposite corners, which will be flexiblyattached to the side frames at the other two corners and which will beattached to the journal bearings at each end of each axle through aresilient medium, thus introducing a small amount of resiliency at thecorners which were previously rigid and increasing the amount ofresiliency at the other corners.

Another object of the invention is to provide a truck with simplifiedmotor mountings. In powered trucks it is conventional to support each ofthe motors from a cross member springingly supported on the side frames.The ends of the cross members must be guided as to vertical movementsrelative to the side frames and the assembly is a source of constantmaintenance. I simplify this by strapping the motors directly to theiradjacent side frames as now becomes possible because both ends of theside frames are resiliently supported on the axles.

Another object is to provide side frames with motors supported directlythereby and to counterbalance the weight and torque of the motors insuch manner that the side frames are not subjected to torsion ofconsequence with respect to their inherent strength. As will be seen,the counterbalancing is done by offsetting the bolster supportingsprings with respect to a vertical bisecting plane through the sideframes.

Other objects and advantages will become hereinafter more fully apparentas reference is bad to the accompanying drawings wherein my invention isillustrated and in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved truck,

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof with the wheels removed and thejournal bearings shown in vertical section, and

Figure 3 is a diametric vertical section taken along the line 3-3 ofFigure 1, showing a bolster supporting spring.

More particularly, 1 refers to the two side frames, each of whichterminates in an arcuate formation at each end against which an arcuatecap 2 is bolted to form a circular opening at one end and a similar cap3 is bolted to form a similar circular opening at the other end. Theopening formed by the end having the cap 3 is of larger diameter thanthat formed at the end having the cap 2.

The openings at both ends of the side frame receive a journal bearing 4each of which is encircled by a rubber ring 5. At the end covered by thecap 2, the axle housing 6 is inserted between the rubber ring 5 and theend of the side frame 1, thus giving metal to metal contact between theaxle housing and the side frame 1 with its cap 2. The bolts 7 areemployed to rigidify this relationship.

The rubber ring 5 at the end of the side frame having the cap 3, isencompassed by the end of the axle housing 8. The axle housing 8 isseparated from the end of the side frame 1 and the cap 3 by a secondrubber ring 9.

It is to be noted that the ends of the two side frames having the caps 3are reversed as to position in the assembled truck, thus givingflexibility of the frame at diagonally opposite corners and rigidity attwo diagonally opposite corners, the frame being considered as the twoside frames and the axle housings.

The axle housings each house an axle 10 which has gearing contained in agear housing 11. The gearing includes a quill connection which is wellknown and which could be of the type illustrated in the co-pendingapplication of William T. Rossell, Serial Number 660,871, filed May 22,1957. The quill gearing permits an angular movement of the axle withrespect to its primary driving gear, which is necessary in view of thepossible movements between the journal bearings 4 and the axle housings6 and 8.

The axle gearings are driven by the propeller shafts 12 throughuniversal joints 22, the propeller shafts each being connected forrotation by main motors 13.

The main motors 13 are provided with straps 14 which terminate inthreaded legs which project through the side frames 1. The ends of thelegs 14 are provided with nuts 15. The motors are, thus, strappeddirectly to their adjacent side frames. Their weight tends to produce atorsional stress in the side frames.

In order to overcome or counter balance the weight of the motors 13 onthe side frame, I offset the bolster supporting springs 16 with respectto a longitudinal plane bisecting the side frames.

The springs 16 are best shown in Figure 3, where it is seen that thesesprings are of nested type resting directly on the side frames 1 anddirectly supporting the bolster 17. The bolster has skirts 18 forcontact by rubber masses 19 held in brackets 21} arising from the sideframes 1. The driving and retarding forces imposed on the bolster 17 bythe frame members 1 are thus transmitted through the rubber masses 19.

Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of myinvention and i desire to be extended protection within the scope of theappended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A rail truck comprising side frames and axle hous ings rigidlyconnected together at diagonally opposite corners and connected througha mass of rubber at their other corners, each of said axle housingshaving a journal bearing at each end of each thereof, said axle housingsbeing connected to each of said journal bearings through a mass ofrubber.

2. A rail truck comprising axles having journal bearings at each endthereof, side frames and axle housings, a mass of rubber separating eachend of each of said axle housings from its journal bearing whereby eachof said axle housings is resiliently supported from said journalbearings, each of said side frames terminating in a hollow circular endwhich houses an end of one of said housings, said circular ends beingrigidly secured to 3 said housings at diagonally opposite corners ofthetruck and resiliently connected to said housings at the outer cornersthereof.

V 3.2 A rail truck comprising side frames and axle hQllSj ings rigidlyconnected together at diagonally opposite corners and resilientlyconnected together at the other two corners,; and driving motorsparallel withsaidside frames, one of said motors'being connecteddirectly to one of said frames andsupported therebyindependently of theother side frame and the other motorbeing directly connected to theother side frameand supported thereby independently of the other motorand the first named side fiame.- V 4. In a rail truck, the combinationof side frames,

cross members connecting said side framesand mairrdriv ing-motors,-oneof said-motors being bolted directly to one of said side frames andbeing supported thereby in dependently of the other side frame, theotherrnotor being bolted directly to the other side frame and also beingsupported thereby independently of the first named sideframe. y .7

5. A rail ttruckcomprising side frames, axle housings connected to saidside frames constituting truck cross members, main driving rnotors,;oneof said motors being bolted directly to one, side frame and the othermotor being bolted to the other side frame, a bolster, springssupporting each end of said bolster on said side frames, said springsbeing oifset from vertical planes longitudinal- 1y bisecting said sideframes in counterbalance of, the weight of said motors.

6. A rail truck comprising axles having journal bear- 7 ings at each endthereof, side frames, housings for said axles, said side frames and saidaxle housings being resiliently connected togethenat diagonally oppositecorners and rigidly connected together at the other two corners,

a mass of rubber separating eachjend of each of said axle housings fromone of saidjournalbealingswhereby sad eklhq s ic ent ub rtsd y id joubearings, driving motors, one of said motors'being bolted directly andindependently, to one of saidside"ffames and the otherimotdr;beingtliolted Airlectlyiiand independently to the othenthereof a.bolster and springs supporting each sneer saidbolster on said sideframes, said springs being offset from vertical planes longitudinallybisecting saidside frames in counterbalance of the weightimposed byisaidvmotors; l

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2,749,849 Rossell1 V June 12, 1956

